Understanding the Smile Makeover Process

Boutique Dentistry for Nashville, Tennessee

A smile makeover might seem like magic. When Nashville cosmetic dentist Dr. Kent E. White works with a patient’s smile, it’s at once a dramatic transformation, but also so natural in appearance that it seems like it’s always been that way. When you look at the before and after images, you might wonder, “how does he do that?”

But we assure you it isn’t magic. And because Dr. White is not a magician, we’re more than happy to reveal the secrets of our tricks. You can also see how this process worked for our patient Treva.

It Starts With a Consultation

Cosmetic dentistry procedures like a smile makeover are completely elective. There’s no pressure, no need to get it done, either quickly or at all. So we can take our time and thoroughly consider what you want done before we proceed with your smile makeover.

We can start with a simple introduction. We’ll talk generally about what might be done. If you’re not ready to get your smile makeover yet, that’s fine. Take some time and think about it. Come back for another casual conversation. As we said, there’s no pressure.

Actual patient of Dr. Kent White!

But once you’ve decided you’re serious about your smile makeover, we’ll start serious planning. We’ll do some more talking to make sure we understand exactly what you want. You might come in thinking “I want a nicer smile,” but we want to make sure we both agree what “nicer smile” means so you’ll be happy with the results of your makeover. We know how to ask all the right questions to get the answers we need to make that happen.

We’ll take pictures of your current smile, really detailed images that show your teeth from all angles. We have a medical-grade camera that we use to take images inside your mouth so we can see your teeth from those angles, too.

We’ll analyze your current smile in other ways, too. We want to understand how well it’s functioning and whether we want to change that function for your new smile. We want your new bite to be as comfortable as it is beautiful, as natural in function as it is in form. This may include analysis of your jaw with our BioPak system and analysis of your bite forces with T-Scan.

But we also want to have a physical model of your teeth. We’ll take physical impressions of your teeth and create a model of your current teeth.

Then Dr. White will craft a 3D model of your new smile. We can show you exactly the size and shape of your new restorations. You’ll be able to give feedback and Dr. White will adjust the plan to your specifications.

Preparation, Placement, and Perfection

Once we’ve got your smile design finalized, this will be used to craft your initial restorations. These are temporaries, but they will be worn until your final restorations are ready.

We will make an appointment to prepare your teeth to receive these restorations. This means removing some of your natural tooth material so the restorations will fit perfectly and won’t make your smile look bulky or ill-fitting.

Once your temporary restorations are placed, you can give comments about how you feel about them. These are the temporaries, so we want as much feedback as possible to help us make the final restorations perfect. Tell us how you feel about the fit, shape, color, and anything else that you might want changed. We will include these notes so that the lab constructing your final porcelain veneers will know exactly what to do.

It will take a couple weeks for your final restorations to be made. When they’re ready, you’ll come into our office. We’ll remove the temporaries and place the final restorations. It’s possible to make some minor adjustments here, too. We want you to feel your smile is perfect.

If necessary, we can schedule additional follow-ups to deal with any minor issues that may arise. We’re not happy until you’re happy.

Are You Ready to Begin Your Smile Makeover?

The smile makeover process is straightforward, but it can’t start without you. If you are ready to begin your smile makeover, please call (615) 383-6787 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. White at the Center for Advanced Dentistry in Nashville, TN.

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Disclaimer: Kent E. White, DDS, FICOI,LVIF Nashville dentist, at the Center for Advanced Dentistry has created this website as an informational resource for those who want to know more about cosmetic dentistry. The information on this web page should not be considered formal medical advice. If you would like more information, please contact us to schedule a private consultation in our Nashville, Tennessee office.